Retaining device



March 19, 1929. J, R FLEWNG 1,706,111

RBTAINING DEVICE Filed Sept. 17, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l RETAINING DEVICE Filed Sept. 17, l 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 19, 192%.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH P. FLEMING, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WAKEFIELD ALL- STEEL WRENCH COMPANY, INC., OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

RETAININ G DEVICE.

Application filed September 17, 1926. Y Serial No. 136,167.

I The present invention relates to a containing and retaining device for a plurality of similarly shaped objects, as for instance, a set of socket wrenches of graduated size, where a common handle or shank is provided for use, selectively, with any one of said socketed members.

Heretofor'e considerable difficulty has been encountered in the provision of a compact and inexpensive container for a wrench set of the above described type, or for any similar set of articles of graduated size. The present invention obviates this ditlieulty by the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth, in which the Ycommon handle or shank is utilized as a retaining means for all of the articles,-a nd while I have chosen to show my invention in'connection with a socket wrench set, it will be understood that this showing is merely by way of example, and that thei mvention could as well be applied to a variety of other devices and objects within the scope of the appended claims. t

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate said inventiom- Y Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, of one of the members of a. socket wrench set. yshown in conjunction with the detachable lhandle or shank that is common to all orn the socketed members of said set.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, showing the assembly of all the socketed members of the set in the containing and retaining devices of my invention. y

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of said parts.

Fig. 5 is a detached view of a holding clamp.

Fig. 6 is a view in sideelevatioii,y showing the assembly of a modiiied form ot the invention, embodying a' ratcheting device for the set of socket wrenches.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view, showing the use of such ratcheting device.

Fig. S is a section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 6. n

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different igures.

A socket wrench set of the type referred to provides, as is well known, a plurality of similarly shaped members 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 'i' and 8, graduated in size, and each having a nut or bolt-receiving socket, here shown as hexagonal in form, and adapted to it a given size of nut or bolt, ranging -from a large bolt oijnut, for which the member l is provided, to a small bolt or nut, for which the member 8 is provided, with all intermediate sizes taken care of by the members 2 to 7 inclusive. The sockets of these members aie not only graduated as to internal diameter or area, but also as to depth, and consequently the members themselves ordinarily vary in thickness or height, the large member l of the set, as shown in Fig. 3, being considerably higher than the smallest member 8. As is the usual practice, each member l to 8 inclusive of the set provides, at the rear of its socketed nut-engaging portion, a polygonal opening 9, all of the openings 9 being of the same size and shape, so as to be operatively engaged by a similarly shaped portion of a single handle member 10, common to all of the socket members.

As here shown, the openings 9 are hexagonal, and the handle member lO is of hexagonal section to fit all of said openings 9. As shown in Fig. 1, one end of the shank or handle 10 is bent at right angles, as indicated at l1, and one face of said bent end provides the usual spring pressed bail 1Q, which frictionally engages a Jface of the opening 9 to hold the socket member on the handle, thus to provide the wrench assembly shown in said Fig. 1. Oi', if desired, the selected socket member may be operaL tively attached in the same way to the other end of handle 10 by means of the spring pressed ball 13, thereby to provide a wrench assembly which is bet-ter adapted to the reaching of inaccessible bolts or nuts, using the bent end 11 as a lever arm. It will be understood, of course, that any one oi' the socket members 1 to 8 inclusive may be operatively attached to either end of the haiidle 10, as desired,-making a total, in the present instance, of sixteen diiierent wrench assemblies or combinations.

According'to the invention, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4c, I provide a shallow tray 14, adapted to receive the wrench members l to 8 inclusive in a row, sait tray preferably being made from a single elongated piece of sheet metal, bent up at its longitudinal edges to provideside walls 15, 15, which convergetoward each other in conformity with the gradually decreasing diameters of the members 1k to l8 inclusive, so that saidmembers fit snugly' between said walls throughout the entire roW. Theend' preferably curved to conform to the shape between said handle. and said tray.

of the small socket member 8:

According to the invention, the handle 10 is utilized, in av novel: manner, to holdv all the members 1 to 8 inclusive in the tray 14. As. shown in Fig; 3, the length of the bent portion 11 of said handl'eis just suilicient to permit the'handle to clear the rim of the bolt-engaging'socket oflarge member 1 when 'said bent` portion 11 is introduced to the opening 9'ofsaid member through said boltengaging socket, instead of from the rear, inthe operative manner shown in Fig. 1. when the hexagonal bentl end 11 of the handle 'is thusV inserted reversely in the opening`9 of'member 1, the elongated overhanging portion of the handle 10 will overlie the entire row of socket members 1 to 8 inclusive in the tray 14, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,-the handle 10 being made of sufficient length for this purpose,and the bend of thehandle 10 preferably being very slightly less than a right angle, so that said elongated portion when in this overlying position will be tipped down substantially into contact With the smaller socket members of, the set which, as heretofore stated, are generally of less height than the larger members. Vith the handle 10 in the above describe p'ositiomwhere it serves as a common holding` meansl to all ofthe socket members 1 to 8 inclusive to retain them in the tray 14, the assemblage of the entire Wrench set in a compact form is completed by encircling the trayld'v and handle 10 with a clamping vmember 18 ofthe form shown in. Fig. 5, this member slipping loosely over the small end ofthe tray 14 andthe overlyingend portion of handle10, vand beingof suliicient size sothat it canlbe pushed lalong longitudinally toa p'ointsubstantially midway of thehandle, where it binds the upper surface of said handle and the gradually diverging side walls 15, 15 and bottom 14 of the tray, thereby to-hold the handle 10 down firmly to prevent any relative movement of separation l v This binds all the parts together against displacement, the handle, in conjunction with the clamp 18, serving to hold all the members 1 to 8 inclusive securely in the tray, and doing away entirely Wit-h the ,necessity for an awkwardly shaped box. for the parts, in which they would inevitably rattle around and become mis laced.

In the' modi 'ed form ofthe invention shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the socket members 1 to: 8 inclusive are adapted to be assembled-in a tray 20, of the same general form as the tray 14 of Figs. 2 and 3. yThe ber 2l, Whose end, like the ends vof handle o 10, is adapted to be operatively engaged with any one of the socket membersy 1 to 8 inclusive. Thus is provided aratcheting attachment for all ofthe socket wrench members, vand itis to be noted further that the opposite end of extension 24v provides a screw driverblade 25, so that the set also affords a ratchet-ing screw driver.

The assembly of thesevarious part-s in a compact form is leffected in the manner shown in Figs. 6 and 8, where the extension member 24v is inserted in the opening 9 of the large-socketV member 1, with its screw driver end 25 projecting up through the hole of ratchet 22, -so that the ratchet handle 21 overlies the row of socket members 1 to 7 inclusivebu't leaves the smallest socket member 8 exposed. Into this smallest socket member` 8 is inserted the bend end 11 of handle 10,4 so that the shank of said handle, as shown in Fig. 6, overlies the ratchet handle 21. A suitable clamping device 26 is adapted to encircle this assemblyV from the small end of tray 20, and as-shown at 27, a portion of the bottom of tray 20 is pressed or stamped outwardly to forman integral elongated locp, for receiving the bottom of the clamping devicev 26 and preventing its separation or loss from the tray when moved into inoperative position, as shown by broii'en lines in Fig. 6. Toflevel u) the bottom el the'tray, a similar stamped out portion 28 is preferably formed also at the larger end thereof.

l claim, Y

1. The combination ,with a plurality of apertured members of graduatedV size, ol' a tray adapted to; receive saidV members in a row, a handle fitting the apertures of all of said members and adapted, selectively, for use with any of them, the .end of said handle being bent so that when inserted in the aperture of the larger Vof said members, the remaining portion of said handle will overlie the remaining members of said row, conforming itself to thedecreasingsize of the latter, and a detachable encircling inemberjof suflicient size to be entered loosely by said handle and tray at thesmall end of the row, and adapted, when moved to a point intermediate the ends of said row, to clamp said parts together.

2. rlhe combination With a plurality of apertured members of graduated size, of a tray adapted to receive said members in a row, a handle fitting the apertures of all of said members and adapted, selectively for use with any of them, the end of said handle being bent at an angle slightly less than 90 to the main portion thereof, so that when inserted in the aperture ot' a larger member the remaining portion ot such handle will overlie the remaining members of ,said row conforming itself to the decreasing size of the latter, and a link to connect the top of said handle with the bottom of said tray, whereby it may be forced over said handle and said tray from that end of the latter which contains the smallest apertured members,- and when forced to a given point along said handle, will by a wedging action, owing to the gradual increase in distance between the bottom of said tray and the upper surface of said handle, irmly hold the handle against the apertured members.

Dated this 13th day of September 1926.

JOSEPH P. FLEMING. 

